The article and comments here focus on criticism and expressing politically correct indignation. Readers from West European countries often equate the Roma issue with immigration issues in their own country. That is a misunderstanding. Roma are not immigrants; they are a native ethnic minority. They don’t particularly want to get ahead or integrate. There is little sense of a shared identity or common cause among Roma themselves – often they hate one another. Ethnic Slovaks are mildly nationalist, but not particularly racist. That is going to change. Year by year political awareness is rising and probably within 15 years the extreme right will get its act together, find a presentable leader and gain respectability Le Pen style. Slovakia’s window of opportunity for resolving the Roma issue is closing year by year. The plight of Roma is worsening, not improving and it is not in any political party’s direct electoral interest to do improve Roma’s lot. Politically correct criticism from Brussels invites ridicule, and as some comments here mention, hardly squares with the actions of, for example, France deporting Roma.
What is needed is a Draghi-style commitment “to do all it takes” to get Roma working again. Work is absolutely crucial, but most policies focus on education, conceived in a Lisbon dreamland of getting children through school, and that, once educated, they will get a job. Nice, but unreal. Most Roma live in central and eastern Slovakia, in areas with dire unemployment rates even among the white population. All unskilled people are effectively priced out of the job market by law, since the nationally-set minimum wage (€330) is equivalent in some areas to more than 80% of the average local wage, so all end up on unemployment benefit (€315 average). Since the purpose of life for anyone is to ensure their genetic survival into the future, and with no prospect of self-improvement, it makes perfectly logical sense for young Roma to have kids as early as possible, and receive child allowance benefits. Since you know your kid’s prospects of self improvement, and thereby chances of improving their genetic survival into the next generation, are negligible, there is little point in investing effort into their upbringing: it makes sense to have many kids, even abandon them or leave them to grow up feral. It is exactly the same thinking as prevailed among the poor in Britain 200 years ago. At some hospitals, one in five Roma children are abandoned at birth.
What is needed are unskilled, labour-intensive jobs. Attract, for example, textile factories, subsidise them, grant exemptions from labour law and competition law. Work from the same principles as Britain’s old Poor Laws and poor houses. Draconian? Yes, but certainly preferable to the present and worsening plight of many Roma today.
Another major problem is usury among Roma and related violence. Such lending is illegal, but law enforcement is totally impracticable. Policing by ethnic Roma police officers is needed in all settlements. Again, broad exemptions from standards would be needed, but some policing is better than none.
Education is a problem that is being solved effectively, for example, by the policy of making payment of parents’ unemployment benefit conditional upon their child’s school attendance. But the main problem remains child allowance benefits that effectively reward teenagers with no prospects for bearing kids into desperate poverty. The fundamental purpose of child allowance benefits is firstly to protect children from poverty and secondly offset the loss of the parents’ income due to childcare. But for many Roma parents child allowance is simply extra income, that does not go towards the child’s upbringing. Child allowance is not improving the child’s life situation, it is worsening it. Child allowance should not be paid for 3 or more children if both parents are on unemployment benefit. The money should instead go toward local communal facilities, such as hygiene stations.
Hygiene is a major factor in friction with the local white population. Since there is no rubbish collection from Roma settlements, the area ends up covered in rubbish and rats. Roma children come to school dirty with fleas, and white parents are angry that their children come home from school with fleas. Costs for rubbish collection from Roma settlements should simply be paid by the national government, likewise hygiene stations. Fuel bricks should be given in payment for municipal work (e.g. collecting rubbish), in order to stop illegal felling of trees for fuel.
If all this is put together in a coherent plan there is a fair chance that the EU would fund it. But the case must be made that national and European strategies to date have failed most miserably.

The Economist fails to report or comment when the London police evacuates the gypsies from the corner of Hyde park. In this case is the application of the rule of law. When the rule of law is applied to the Gypsies in Slovakia, Czech republic, Romania or Bulgaria it is an abuse.

Do you even know the situation?
Your comparison has nothing to do with this article. The police did not go there under the premise to "evacuate" or move anyone. That is a completely different matter, and not at all involved with this event.
It was a raid under the premise of supposively looking for suspected criminals, who they did not find.
They did, however, proceed to damage property and beat Roma, including teenagers. In other articles there are pictures of the bruises and wounds on young boys.

My first impression of this web page is the shocking title, ex-communist Europe. Besides the negative connotations with which this adjective is loaded, it is particularly irrelevant to all readers born after 1980.Which probably translates into most readers. I am from Eastern Europe, but I thought such division should not be emphasised not only because my country has been a part of the European Union for a decade now, but also because historically my country is defined by its thousands of years of heritage and not by being communist for forty years in an era I did not exist in, have no relation to, and no experience of.My culture and daily life have nothing communist or ex communist about it and I don't even understand what is meant by this term.Such terminology divides people, sustains wrong prejudices and bias, and perpetuates negative attitudes.I thought I was a part of a united Europe and my ancestors too were simply Europeans.I am not an ex communist, and neither are the preceding two three generations of my compatriots.Therefore my society and country is not ex communist either.Could you kindly drop this term if you don't want to be viewed as being very and horribly biased against half the population of now long time united Europe without an iron curtain or a Berlin Wall.thank you... From an ex communist who has never been a communist ...

"... kindly drop this term if you don't want to be viewed as being very and horribly biased against half the population of now long time united Europe without an iron curtain or a Berlin Wall... "

I fully support your point about this example of unacceptable bias on the part of The Economist editors by having named this blog 'Ex-communist Europe'. Indeed, the term wrongly implies that ANY parts of Europe, that were ruled by the Moscow communists in the 20th century (some parts since 1918, others since 1939, still others since 1945), deserve to be referred to as 'ex-communist'. The real proportion of communists in these European countries is readily available and has been assessed by historians.

The Economist's approach further implies that millions of people of ALL generations, who lived UNDER the Moscow-imposed communist rule, bear the burden of the evil deeds of communism, - political, social, and economic evils. Indeed, such indefensible journalistic bias degrades the efforts, and often personal sacrifices, of the hundreds of thousands of people who, having opposed the imposition of communism, tried their best to preserve the ethical, cultural and religious values of their respective countries. Supporters of the cynical power-hungry ideologists of Marxism-Leninism have not vanished from the political scene in Europe with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some have survived by simply renaming their parties with little change in basic objectives while continuing their strong opposition against revelations of all deeds of their predecessors.

Indeed, The Economist would provide an essential service, particularly to the generations of young readers born after 1980, by re-focusing some of the analysis of current trends in the context of past experiences of the 20th century decades.

My first impression of this web page is the shocking title, ex-communist Europe. Besides the negative connotations with which this adjective is loaded, it is particularly irrelevant to all readers born after 1980.Which probably translates into most readers. I am from Eastern Europe, but I thought such division should not be emphasised not only because my country has been a part of the European Union for a decade now, but also because historically my country is defined by its thousands of years of heritage and not by being communist for forty years in an era I did not exist in, have no relation to, and no experience of.My culture and daily life have nothing communist or ex communist about it and I don't even understand what is meant by this term.Such terminology divides people, sustains wrong prejudices and bias, and perpetuates negative attitudes.I thought I was a part of a united Europe and my ancestors too were simply Europeans.I am not an ex communist, and neither are the preceding two three generations of my compatriots.Therefore my society and country is not ex communist either.Could you kindly drop this term if you don't want to be viewed as being very and horribly biased against half the population of now long time united Europe without an iron curtain or a Berlin Wall.thank you... From an ex communist who has never been a communist ...

It seems that most people do not know enough about the Roma people, including myself, other than what we read in the news and unfortunately from those that approach you in cities like Brussels, London trying to scam you. I do not mean that all Roma people are like that but ALL the Roma that have approached me have tried to take advantage of me or someone near me. That does not help their plight but that is all we know about them. Efforts to bring them into the mainstream have a tendency to fail and a heavy hand falls disproportionately on the young as they are seldom used to commit petty crime.
Unfortunately the article fails to mention the chain of events that lead to this. Using a picture of a child against the background context distorts the facts and points towards bias.

Maybe TE could one day educate some of its readers and run a special on this people.

TE should put the events in context , telling people who have no knowledge of the basic problem that these people - though living in Europe for almost a Millennium , long before the rise of communism - persistently refuse to adopt our values and the sedentary way of living .

When an entire race of people is systematically denied access to education, healthcare, ANY employment opportunities and the most basically amenities of life for hundreds of years, it should be not be surprising that many will turn to crime to survive. Europe has never acknowledged what they helped Hitler do to the Roma people. In fact, they have continued the same policies with little improvement. Yet the suggestions proffered for improvement always suggest it is the Roma who need to change their culture. It is time Europeans face up to their own bigotry and starting treating these people like human beings.

I appreciate your comment and agree with you that people do not know enough about the Roma.

However, the picture use is not bias, in fact it is tame. I have been to this settlement. And I have worked with people there.

Really, if they wanted to be completely factual, they should have posted the relevant pictures that were made available after the incident; of the bruises and welts that were inflicted by police, including on teenagers, Hair having been pulled at and bleeding from the root, and Bruises on women's arms in the shapes of hands.

But I'm sure then those pictures would also be called "biased" by most:

Before Romania entered EU. EU politicians said that Romanians do not respect human rights toward Roma population. After Romania joined EU and a vast majority of gypsies went to France, French could not find a better solution than sending them back

IT IS VERY - VERY SAD AND SHAMEFULL ON THE PART OF THE GAJE/NON-ROMA GOVERMENTAL AUTHORITIES, WHO TAKE SUCH CRUDE AND HARSH BIASED IN-HUMAN ACTIONS AGAINST THE POOR,INNOCENT AND HELPLESS ROMA PEOPLE WHO ARE THE RESPECTABLE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY LIKE OTHER GAJE/NON-ROMA PEOPLE !!! THEREFORE IN THE END I REQUEST THE CONCERNED GOVT - AUTHORITIES TO BE REASONABLE AND KIND TO THE ROMA PEOPLE AND THEY MUST TRY TO UNDERSTAND SYMPATHETICALLY THEIR ACCUTE - PROBLEMS WHICH THE GAJE - PEOPLE DONT HAVE. AND THE GAJE AUTHORITIES MUST HELP THEM IN EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, HEALTH - CARE, WATER & ELECTIC SUPPLY, EQUAL - RIGHTS AND ETC...

This is incredibly one-sided article. TE should do a better job properly researching topics before writing about them otherwise it looks really naïve. The last paragraph is a shame that should not appear in any serious journalism – combining references to nazi-collaborationist government and funeral of a child in one breadth is a practice of populist politics.

IT IS VERY - VERY SAD AND SHAMEFULL ON THE PART OF THE GAJE/NON-ROMA GOVERMENTAL AUTHORITIES, WHO TAKE SUCH CRUDE AND HARSH BIASED IN-HUMAN ACTIONS AGAINST THE POOR,INNOCENT AND HELPLESS ROMA PEOPLE WHO ARE THE RESPECTABLE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY LIKE OTHER GAJE/NON-ROMA PEOPLE !!! THEREFORE IN THE END I REQUEST THE CONCERNED GOVT - AUTHORITIES TO BE REASONABLE AND KIND TO THE ROMA PEOPLE AND THEY MUST TRY TO UNDERSTAND SYMPATHETICALLY THEIR ACCUTE - PROBLEMS WHICH THE GAJE - PEOPLE DONT HAVE. AND THE GAJE AUTHORITIES MUST HELP THEM IN EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, HEALTH - CARE, WATER & ELECTIC SUPPLY, EQUAL - RIGHTS AND ETC...

Well, this article missing beginning point of that"story". Before police raid took Roma village in Moldava na Bodvou there was another steps before. Few day ago was a "little" celebration in that gypsies camp, and some white neighbours were complaining. As we all know, most of those gypsies are not employed,so after they received their social benefits, the use to celebrate whole night. Doesn´t matter which day. So after white neighbours were complains, few police cars arrived. And those cars and policeman were attacked by celebrating gypsies. Few police officers were hurt, one police car destroyed.This police raid, which happened after was just answer for what gypsies were asking for :)

of course, story that SINGLE POLICEMAN attacked gypsie in full camp of gypsies is sci-fi :):) And I was wrong, celebrating was not after receiving social benefits, but in that time,party was organised by NGO :):):)

Wow. You are so biased here, it is reeking of it. Fine, that is your assumption of what happened, simply one side. Here is another, the press statement that followed this incident, complete with photos and video:

The Roma were celebrating a good thing, first of all, the completion of a clean-up project, sponsored by a non-profit organization that aims to actually help Roma overcome current living conditions and stop the cycle of poverty.

These were actually TWO DIFFERENT EVENTS. There was a skirmish, after the celebrating was over, though ETP's statement says it was initiated by the police. So, granted, one side says one thing, the other says another. But it was with two juvenilles, first of all. Second of all, since when is a broken window to a car considered "destroyed"?

AFTER this incident, and taking away the two juvenilles into custody, police returned with 20 vehicles and 60 masked officers to raid the settlement, causing alot of damage both to property and people, including teens.

By the way, I'm sure the women with the hand-sized bruises on their arms totally started it. The kid with the bleeding scalp, too, Neh? I mean, who wouldn't start a fight with 60 armed officers? (Note sarcasm).

The one word which should never be used to describe Mr. Fico is liberal. He is a populist who survives by scapegoating ethnic minorities, whether Roma or Hungarian. As a German/Hungarian living in Transylvania(Romania), I have frequent contacts with Roma. Most Roma live in pitiful conditions, rarely work and usually beg. However, this is the result of their socioeconomic position rather than some innate trait. Gypsy Castles are not uncommon, and it is a pleasure to see Roma in the markets wearing their traditional clothing. Roma musicians are also highly valued. The Roma's problem is poverty. Roma have lived in Pannonia for over 600 years, it is time for us to put aside nasty rhetoric and make meaningful efforts to help our neighbors.

Several points:
- Fico is definitely not a liberal;
- He doesn´t need to scapegoat Roma minority, he is just pointing out that they should blame for their situation mostly themselves;
- Not all, but a lot of Roma usually live in pitiful conditions and rarely work, but mostly due their approach to life (that is the opinion of a huge majority of Slovak Citizens). Let me explain this. Everybody has the opportunity to attend schools and if there are some money to build houses for low-income people, these houses are usually given to Roma (even if there are a lot of other poor people because unemployment is high in Slovakia). A lot of Roma do not learn and they do not care about education. I personally had two Roma classmates, but they did not make it to next class due their laziness and lack of interest in education. A lot of Roma do not end proper education and typically have children in a very young (teen) age. Usually then they do not have a job since the do not have any education and due to a bad reputation of Roma people.
Majority think that Roma do not want to work and only make children due to social benefits. Those mentioned segregation walls are build mainly as a protection again stealing, vandalism and attacks.
Majority is simply sick because people pay taxes, struggle to live with low Slovakian wages, have to take mortgages and also pay social benefits to Roma who instead of to be grateful do not work, make a lot of babies (future non-productive workforce as their parents), steal and attack. Those Roma who live properly are too few to remedy Roma bad reputation as a whole.
- So as the French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said (I say a lot of them) Roma do not wish to integrate into society and as he said his words might shock only those who do know nothing about the issue. And in this discussion it seems they are also people who do know too little about this issue too.
- People in Slovakia are sick and tired that despite spending a lot of money on helping Roma there are almost no results and despite giving a lot of money Slovakia is still criticized for doing too little.
My question is how much money is enough who is gonna pay them...

You are quite right. Roma's condition is the result of their socio-economic conditions. After their liberation from slavery, in 1866, in Romania most of them lived in segregation. That's why they are not like us. But in recent years a growing number of Roma begin to blend in, getting jobs, sending their children to school. It's a start but it will take time to change their status and the popular opinion about them.